Reality Check

Natalie stared at Bo, disbelief and anger shimmering in her wide, tear filled, blue eyes. "I can't. . . how. . .?" she gasped as she collapsed onto the edge of the couch.

"I don't understand myself, but he. . ." Bo inhaled, shaking his head as he forced himself to continue, his own voice tinged with disbelief. "They took him off the vent and he. . . he saids. . ."

"Saids?"

"For a few days he's been. . . been. . . well, Paige thought he was asking for. . . about. . . John. . . and he. . . well, he became agitated when they told him about. . ." Bo closed his eyes, breathing deeply to keep his feelings under control. "They sedated him. . . and then, today, he insisted he was John."

"So because he saids it, we're supposed to believe it?" Natalie asked incredously as she glared at her uncle.

"Paige wouldn't believe it. But Kelly. . . she saw how agitated he was and got Michael. . . John managed to say something to him before Paige put him under again. . . I only know because I got pulled in to deescalate the disturbance between the two of them. . . we're going to run a DNA test to be sure, but in the meantime, I think. . ."

"YOU THINK?!?!?!" Natalie scoffed. "Don't tell me what you THINK Uncle Bo. I didn't want to believe. . . I begged you. . . and you. . . you swore there couldn't have been a mistake. That Michael had identified him. I begged you to take me to him. Let me see him. I might have known. No. I would have known!"

"Natalie. . ."

"No. Don't. I can't trust you. Can't trust Michael. Hell, I'm not even sure I can trust the man in that hospital bed! Why should I? And. . . how do I do this," she continued as she started to pace, hands fluttering nervously. "again? Do I wait for it to be another mistake? Do I shy away from him because he might be different? More defensive? Less held back? What do I expect? Do I even dare hope for anything."

"Natalie, I'm at a loss for answers," he admitted.

"Now. . . now you order a DNA test. Why not then? . . . We haven't been there. What if he thinks we've abandoned him? And how. . . we buried him Uncle Bo. . . how do we undo that? How did you allow a mistake like this to happen? Why didn't you run a DNA test then?"

"The evidence. . ."

"Screw the evidence! I told you you could've been wrong! Why did you listen to them and not to me?"

"Natalie, honey. . ." he started stepping towards her.

"No. . . No. . . I can't do this. Not again. . . I have to get out of here. . . go. . . I have to go. . ." she stammered before running out of the room with no clue as to where she was running to, just the knowledge that she had to keep going or else she'd break. . .